


A Renewable Source of Power

by ThereWasStillTime



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: ...although not real, Co-workers, F/M, First Fight, Law Enforcement, You were the only person I thought I could trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23400868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThereWasStillTime/pseuds/ThereWasStillTime
Summary: It's Vanessa's birthday and she likes surprises.
Relationships: Robin Ellacott/Cormoran Strike, Vanessa Ekwensi/Oliver Bargate, Vanessa Ekwensi/Robin Ellacott
Kudos: 30
Collections: The Cormoran Strike Fest of Firsts





	A Renewable Source of Power

“Oh Robin, they’re lovely,” Vanessa held up one of the red coral earrings and the necklace Robin had just given her for her birthday.

Robin had been worried that they would not be to Vanessa’s taste, she did not have a lot of practice in buying presents for other women, what with three brothers and no other female best friends to speak of. Vanessa looked genuinely delighted though as the gaudy pink and red neon from the ‘Adult Video’ sign outside the Soho restaurant, made the red coral and crystals glimmer.

“I’m really glad you like them. I wanted to thank you for being there. You know after I found out about Matthew, you were the only person I thought I could trust to help me.”

“Anytime Robin,” She threw an arm around Robin’s shoulders. Both tall, their foreheads bumped together, as they hugged and they giggled, already a little tipsy from the bar they had met at, “But, I doubt that’s true!” although her face had turned serious, the corner of Vanessa’s mouth twitched. She started to replace the jewellery she was already wearing with the ones from Robin, turning to look at herself in the reflection of the window. 

“You’re my only friend in London!” Robin protested. 

Vanessa raised the elegant lines of her brow and peered at her knowingly; an earring held in mid-air at her earlobe.

“Okay, you’re my best friend in London,”

“Try again,” Vanessa deadpanned, her dark eyes assessing, and Robin suddenly knew what it was like to sit across from her in an interrogation. Then Vanessa’s eyes returned back to her own elegant reflection.

“Well, you’re my best…female…friend in London,” Robin conceded, trying to hide the smile that began to curl her mouth into a smile.

“Although I am honoured to have that privilege, we are finally getting closer to the truth,” Vanessa smiled conspiratorially in the glass.

“Don’t start that again,” Robin sighed.

“What? I’m not starting anything that hasn’t been started already,” Vanessa held her hand out in the air, “Is that rain? My hair!” she pulled Robin into the doorway that exclaimed ‘Strip Tease’. 

“It’s only spitting, I’ll stand here so your hair is safe,” Robin was ready to sacrifice the waves she had curled her hair into, it wasn’t as if it were her birthday and Oliver would be meeting them at any moment.

“No, you don’t, stand next to me! We can both fit under here, otherwise what kind of best friend would I be? Oh!” There was a sharp ping from Vanessa’s pocket, “Hopefully that’s Oliver,” Vanessa fished out her phone to read the text, “He says, we should just wait inside, they’re going to be ten minutes yet.”

“How many people are you expecting?” Robin asked, she had expected more than just the three of them, but Vanessa was always a bit vague about who else would be there. She always just invited a big group of friends and always seemed relaxed about who turned up.

“Just a couple of people,” Vanessa murmured as they walked past the neon signs exclaiming ‘Adult Videos’ and ‘Peep Show’. A handsome man was just leaving the restaurant and he gave Vanessa and then Robin an appreciative smile as he opened the door for them to enter, the sign above glowed the word ‘COME’. 

Robin was starting to suspect that Vanessa appeared to be deliberately evasive. Then it dawned on her, “You’ve not used your birthday to enact that blind date you’ve been threatening, have you?”

Robin thought she caught the words, “I wouldn’t say ‘blind’ ” from Vanessa as she led the way down a set of stairs.

Robin confronted Vanessa once they reached the bottom and her friend had told the staff they had a table booked in Oliver’s name, “What is going on?” 

“It’s my birthday,” Vanessa reminded her, “And, I like surprises,” she smirked before following the hostess into the dark, cavernous space, not waiting for Robin’s reply.

They were led to a table for four tucked into one of the cosy cellar vaults, which were mirrored at the end to make it seems bigger. Vanessa gestured for Robin to seat herself on one side of the purple upholstered booth while she sat opposite.

Once they were settled, Robin looked at Vanessa accusingly, “You were the only person I thought I could trust!”

“Oh Robin, it’s been over a year and we’ve talked about this, a lot. It’s time,”

“I said ‘maybe’ I would think about downloading Grindr, ‘maybe’ and then we were both really drunk,” Robin mock hissed at her.

Vanessa fell about laughing, “Grindr? Bumble, Robin, Bumble! Grindr’s the one for gay ho- ”

“Hello, ladies!” Oliver’s warm voice interrupted their mock fight. He looked even more handsome in the midnight blue suit he was wearing. Vanessa, however, was desperately looking past him but Oliver was alone. She looked at him questioningly and he held his palm out to relax her, “Happy Birthday,” he said to Vanessa with a sexy undertone, making her laugh and they quickly kissed each other as she took the bag of gifts he held out a to her, “Good evening Robin, you both look lovely,”

The waiter came over and Oliver ordered red wine for the table. Robin smiled as she took in their besotted faces as they whispered to one another, almost completely forgiving Vanessa, who was happily engaged in opening each one of her presents. Anyway, Vanessa and Oliver would not do anything that would make her feel uncomfortable. Soon, the waiter was backfilling their glasses. While she lifted her glass to her lips and took a deep sip, Robin felt the seat dip next to her as a figure slid in beside her. She took a deep breath readying herself to be on her first date with someone other than Matthew.

A pair of green eyes smiled softly back at her. 

“Cormoran!” Robin breathed, disconcerted yet relieved.

“Hi!” he sounded and looked nervous as he watched her from under his dark brow. 

Robin smiled and patted the cushion closer to her so he could move further into the booth.

“Happy Birthday Vanessa! And thanks for inviting me, sorry I made Oliver late, I just had to pick these up from the office for you.” He passed her a very tasteful bouquet of scented flowers. 

“Didn’t want to be seen at ‘The Tottenham’ with Oliver and a bouquet of flowers?” Vanessa teased.

“I’d have been proud too, his tall, favourite team is Arsenal and he has good police skills,” Cormoran quipped back and they laughed. 

He and Oliver had realised they had a lot in common during a night out to celebrate Wardle becoming a father earlier in the year and this had developed into a friendship of their own. This had played an important factor when Vanessa had chosen to ambush him after he’d invited Oliver to watch a game at the pub with Nick. She had been persistent that she was convinced he was in love with Robin. Vanessa had seen the way Strike watched Robin at her and Matthew’s housewarming, the way he smiled at her on their nights out, the way he talked about how Robin had been integral in finding evidence that had cracked an important case for them. Vanessa had smiled with condescension at every excuse he had given her for why he was sure Robin was not interested in him and she had an answer to every excuse he came up with. She hadn’t broken Robin’s confidence; she had just focused on breaking him and Nick hadn’t been much help either. He had called Ilsa and introduced her to Vanessa at the pub and now he was sat here.

He turned to Robin, his voice husky, “These are for you,” he held out a smaller but still beautiful bouquet of her own, “You look…” his eyes slid to take in the prettiness of her hair in waves before he looked for assent in her smoky lined steel eyes, “Beautiful,”

Robin flushed as she saw the way he was intently looking at her, this really was a date. 

When she looked at Vanessa, her friend looked very pleased with herself, “Well, I’m just glad you’re all here to celebrate with me,” she grinned, “And didn’t take much persuading, Cormoran!” she winked at Robin and picked up her glass of red wine into both of their glasses. 

“Toast!” Vanessa said and they raised their glasses, “To best friends!”


End file.
